Month: February 2018

Minnesota Wild’s Mike Reilly warms up before the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

In search of salary cap space, the Wild traded Minnesota native Mike Reilly to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, marking the end of the 24-year-old blue liner’s career with his homestate team.

Reilly had 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) in 38 games with the Wild this season, and carried a $725,000 cap hit, which the Wild will now be relieved of.

A standout with Academy of Holy Angels in high school and the University of Minnesota in college, Reilly was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fourth round in 2011. He hit the open market after failing to reach a deal with the team after the 2014-15 season and instantly became one of the most sought-after collegiate free agents.

He signed a two-year, $1.85 million contract with the Wild on July 1, 2015 after a sweepstakes that featured him meeting with as many as 10 teams. He re-signed with Minnesota on July 1, 2017 for $1.45 million over two years before falling out of the rotation this season.

“I think we all felt that it would work better than what it did, and that’s not a reflection on him at all,” Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher said. “We were fortunate to get him, but I think at some point it’s important to do the right thing, too. If it’s not going to work here, we needed to give him a chance to get his career going.”

Besides that trade, the Wild didn’t pull the trigger on any other moves despite rumors swirling around Matt Cullen and a potential reunion with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins

Fletcher smiled when asked whether Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford was uber aggressive in trying to get Cullen. He added that the front office had “some interesting conversations” with teams, stopping short of divulging any details of those discussions.

“From our standpoint, our goals going (into the trade deadline) were pretty modest in large part because we like the way our team’s been playing the last little while,” Fletcher said. “To pay big prices right now, from a salary cap perspective, it wasn’t possible to get involved in some of the players.”

Still, with top-tier Central Division teams loading up on Monday — the first-place Nashville Predators flipped a first-round pick for center Ryan Hartman early in the day and the second-place Winnipeg Jets followed suit by trading a first-round pick for center Paul Stastny — there could have been pressure for the Wild to feel like they had to make a big splash to keep up.
Did they feel that pressure in the war room?

“Not at all,” Fletcher said. “We knew some of these teams would make big pushes. For us, it’s about our group. If we play the way we can play, we’re a very competitive team.”

Plus, as far as Fletcher was concerned, the asking price for some of the high-end rental players was going to be too much. He made it very clear that the team’s first-round draft pick this summer “wasn’t in play” this season after he traded a first-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes last season to acquire Martin Hanzal and Ryan White.

“We took (the first-round pick) away from (our scouts) last season — I did,” Fletcher said. “It was important for them to have a first-round pick (this season).”
After trading Reilly and allowing Chris Stewart to be claimed off waivers by the Calgary Flames, the Wild have about $2.63 million in salary cap space, which should allow them to call up Luke Kunin from the minors at some point as well as sign Jordan Greenway out of Boston University once his college season ends.

“We have players that can bring some youth and some energy and some grit,” Fletcher said, saying that type of flexibility was something the team lacked last season. “We had a really tough stretch (last March), and I just remember thinking it’d be great if had a 20- or 21-year-old we could bring in to maybe give us a shot in the arm.”

That will be an option this time around. But the biggest takeaway from the trade deadline is that Fletcher left the core of the team in tact, essentially betting on a group that has been one of the best teams in the NHL over the past 3 1/2 months.

“I believe in this group,” Fletcher said. “I think they’ve earned the right to show what they can do.”

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers scored twice in the first 1:28 of the third period to snap a 2-2 tie and they held on to beat the Canadiens 5-3 Thursday at Wells Fargo Center. Jakub Voracek scored a power-play goal 27 seconds into the period to snap a 2-2 tie. He beat Carey Price with a high shot to the glove side after taking a cross-ice pass from Claude Giroux. Travis Konecny provided what turned out to be the winning goal at 1:28 when he scored his second goal of the night and 13th of the season. Shayne Gostisbehere’s shot from the blue line managed to slip through Price’s pads and Konecny reached behind the goaltender to push the puck into the net. Giroux’s assist on Voraecek’s goal gave him three points — a goal and an assist — on the night while Gostisbehere had three assists.

Philadelphia Flyers’ Wayne Simmonds stands in front of Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) as Price looks for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018, in Philadelphia.

Last-ditch effort: The Canadiens made it close when Brendan Gallagher scored his 19th goal on a power play with 2:54 to play, but Ivan Provorov scored into an empty net.

Price’s road woes continue: Price has lost his last seven road starts, but it should be noted that he hasn’t enjoyed a lot of offensive support over that stretch. The Canadiens have scored only six goals in those games and the Philadelphia game was the first game in which the Canadiens have scored more than one goal.
Konecny connects: After neither team was able to muster a goal in the first period — the Flyers outshot the Canadiens 10-9 — Philadelphia took the lead at the 42-second mark of the second period. Sean Couturier picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and found Claude Giroux on the left wing. Konecny breezed past Jonathan Drouin on the right side and was in front of the net when he redirected a pass from Giroux past Price.

Action-filled minute: The Canadiens tied the score at 1-1 when Artturi Lehkonen scored a short-handed goal at 9:09 of the second period. Lehkonen, who scored twice in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Ottawa, took the puck away from Voracek at centre ice and then ripped a shot past Brian Elliott. It was Lehkonen’s fifth goal. But there was still time remaining in Byron Froese’s penalty for slashing Michael Raffl, and Giroux restored the Flyers’ lead when he scored on a shot from the point at 9:37. It was Giroux’s 16th goal of the season.
All tied up after two: The Canadiens managed to tie the score at 2-2 when Logan Shaw scored on a backhander at 18:39 of the second period. This was yet another example of hard work from the fourth line as Shaw, Froese and Nicolas Deslauriers battled to keep the puck in the Flyers’ zone. It was Shaw’s fourth goal of the season and his second as a Canadien.

Specialty items: The Flyers scored twice on four power-play opportunities and had eight shots on goal. The Canadiens were 1-for-3 and have scored six power-play goals in the their last three games.

Looking ahead: The Canadiens are back at the Bell Centre to face Alexei Emelin and the Nashville Predators with a cameo appearance by noted philanthropist P.K. Subban (7 p.m., Sportsnet 360, TVA Sports, TSN-690 Radio). The Canadiens go back on the road next week for a four-game trip which begins Wednesday in Colorado. They play Thursday in Arizona, Saturday in Las Vegas and finish up back in Philadelphia on Feb. 20.

After a physical game against the Rangers, the NHL Department of Player Safety to hold a hearing regarding Nashville Predators’ Forsberg hit.

If you missed last nights game between the Nashville Predators and the New York Rangers, you missed out on a brawl. With Cody McLeod returning to Bridgestone Arena after being released last week a fight was expected. Not that there is bad blood between McLeod and the Predators, but because it is McLeod’s method.

Other than a late hit on Austin Watson, the expected fight never came to fruition. But, from the moment the puck dropped you could sense a physical battle was to ensue. And it did.
From the start of the game, Rangers’ defensemen Anthony DeAngelo stirred things up. With hits and shoves after whistles were blown, it was clear he was there to pick a fight. He went after Calle Jarnkrok and Scott Hartnell within the first 10 minutes of the opening period. From there, things became ugly.

Miikka Salomaki threw some salty hits along the boards. Alexei Emelin laid Marc Staal in the corner boards. Staal played the puck and lowered his body as Emelin came in for a hit. Emelin’s shoulder connected with Staal’s head, which then hit the edge of the wall. This drew the ire of Rick Nash, according to the New York Post.

“Headshots, they have to be taken out of the game. It’s embarrassing,” Rick Nash told The Post. “I don’t care about running around making clean hits. But when you target a guy’s head, it’s a joke.”

No penalty was assessed.

Forceful Forsberg

A few moments later came the hit in question as Filip Forsberg checked Jimmy Vesey. It was a hit so brutal you could hear a collected “OOOOOHHHH!!” from everyone watching the game. When Vesey got up, his mouth was bleeding. And now, the NHL Department of Player Safety will hold a hearing about this hit.
It is clear the elbow of Forsberg connected with Vesey’s face, though it appears the intent was to lead with the hip. No penalty was called on this hit, or any other hit on the evening.

The hit from Forsberg was brutal for two reasons. First, the body of Forsberg provided an unbalanced force to Vesey. Second, Vesey’s speed was at a rate causing added violence when hit. Sir Issac Newton’s Laws of Motion were in complete observance.

Pending results

What will happen to Forsberg? There are three options. First of all, the OPS could call it a clean hit with unfortunate consequences. Forsberg could be fined, like Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils and T.J. Oshie was the Washington Capitals were in the last few days. Both paid $5,000 for their cross-checks. Or Forsberg could be suspended, just like Buffalo’s Johan Larsson was two days ago. However, Larsson cross-checked a player in the face after a play was over.

The debate as to the intent and ferocity of the hit will continue from fans across the league. The fact remains that the NHL Department of Player Safety remains inconsistent in how it manages the game. For example, why hold a hearing over the Forsberg hit when this happened and they did nothing.
Ryan Johansen played the puck and then was leveled by Will Carrier, who led with his shoulder. Johansen left the game with concussion-like symptoms.

Should Forsberg be fined for this hit? Possibly. But a suspension would be over-reaching. It may have been a moment late, but it was not with reckless intent. Was it a dirty hit? No. Are the Nashville Predators a dirty team? Absolutely not. But, they can be physical in games when needed.
NEXT: What Does David Poile Have Up His Sleeve Next?
The Rangers came looking for a battle, hoping the Predators would crumble under the physical weight. Nashville stood tall. Now, we just wait for the NHL to finish their hearing.